Jannik Sinner began the campaign to defend his title at the Australian Open today, beating Chile’s Nicolás Jarry in the opening round.
It comes a week after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced Sinner would face internationalauthorities in a closed-door hearing in April over a positive test result for a banned substance.
Here’s what you need to know.
Context
In August 2024, the International Tennis Integrity Association (ITIA) announced Sinner had recorded two positive tests for a banned substance at the Indian Wells tournament in March.
It said an independent tribunal had since ruled Sinner was not at fault.
Sinner tested positive for clostebol, a steroid derivative of testosterone. It’s banned due to its anabolic qualities, which can improve muscle growth.
In a statement on Sinner’s Instagram in August, his team argued the prohibited substance entered the player’s system accidentally.
They alleged Sinner’s physiotherapist applied topical cream containing clostebol to a wound on their own finger before treating him.
“Coupled with various skin lesions on Jannik’s body, [the physiotherapist] caused the inadvertent contamination,” the statement said.
Consequences
Sinner’s result from Indian Wells was disqualified, and he was stripped of his $US325,000 ($AU482,000) winnings and the 400 ATP ranking points he earned from making the semi-final.
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Sinner was cleared to play in the U.S. Open in August, which he won.
Later in 2024, he went on to win the ATP Tour Finals and helped Italy to a second successive Davis Cup victory.
WADA appeal
After the ITIA cleared Sinner, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) lodged an appeal with the CAS in September.
WADA argued the ITIA’s finding that Sinner bore “no fault or negligence” was “not correct”.
WADA is “seeking a period of ineligibility of between one and two years” for Sinner.
Sinner will face WADA in a“conducted behind closed doors” in April.
Response
Following WADA’s announcement of their appeal, Sinner said he was “disappointed”.
“It is difficult to see what will be gained by asking a different set of three judges to look at the same facts and documentation all over again,” Sinner said.
“This being said, I have nothing to hide, and… I will cooperate fully with the appeal process and provide whatever may be needed to prove my innocence once again.”
